RoundUp (Glyphosate) toxicity

We recently lost three hens that up until the time they died looked and acted perfectly healthy. The only thing I can come up with is my DH sprayed RoundUp under the grapevines. (unknown to me)
The hens are free ranged. The first two died about a week after he sprayed and the third just a day after she started free ranging. ( three other birds are still alive and well)

My question, does anyone have any documented ( or personal experience) with RoundUp being lethal to chickens? Yes I have googled it but cannot find anything concrete.

Roundup is a very safe chemical. It has little or no toxic effect on warm blooded animals. It actually inhibits a crucial amino acid that plants need to live. Animals have no such enzyme. Roundup is very quickly inactivated when exposed to soil, so it's very doubtful that your birds died from exposure to Glyphosate.

I know that there are many who will refute this, but Roundup has replaced many of the older, and much more toxic chemicals that we used to use on crops. Atrazine, Eradicane, Treflan, Dicamba, Sencor, and many others were terribly toxic, and many of them had very long half-lives. Roundup is relatively non-toxic, and has very little persistence.

I would search for another reason that your hens died. Possibly some berries or other plant material that was toxic to them? Or, could they have come upon an old battery or some paint or other chemicals in their scratching?

Old, fat, gray-haired EMT guy. Raised birds for 60 years. I don't name 'em, and don't dwell over any that die. I treat every bird with respect, and feed and care for 'em as best I can. Dad to 2 M.D.'s, a teacher and a computer guru. Grandpa to 6 beautiful girls and two grandsons. Life is good!

Old, fat, gray-haired EMT guy. Raised birds for 60 years. I don't name 'em, and don't dwell over any that die. I treat every bird with respect, and feed and care for 'em as best I can. Dad to 2 M.D.'s, a teacher and a computer guru. Grandpa to 6 beautiful girls and two grandsons. Life is good!

No toxic berries or plants, the older hens had been free ranged in that area for several months. When the first 2 died I assumed it was heat related (even though they had access to plenty of shade and water) I only found out about the Round up the day the 3rd hen died. (after a grape vine died under which the round up had been spayed, no chemical got on the plant or the leaves) it just seemed odd that three birds and a perfectly healthy plant all died after the chemical was sprayed in the area.

Hopefully I don't lose any more but if I do they are going to the lab for a necropsy. I may see if I can send a sample of the herbicide off as well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jhm47

I would search for another reason that your hens died. Possibly some berries or other plant material that was toxic to them? Or, could they have come upon an old battery or some paint or other chemicals in their scratching?

I would have to much of a political answer to this (roundup made by monsanto) but I am going to stay away from my soap box . Did they have any symptoms before they passed? Were there any other poisons around? Were they for sure under there?? We usually dont let our dogs out for a few hours after my DH sprays the round up ( much to my dismay) but I am unsure of the effects on chickies.